In this section of the reading, I found more than one example where Reece's experience impacted my emotions. For starters, when he talks about the Slurry runoff (pg 129)....Something like 300 million gallons of toxic coal runoff seeped into Coldwater Creek and Wolf Creek, two bodies of water that people depended on. To me, slurry is probably the scariest aspect of the mountain top removal. Sure, a lot of it is wrong, but I could let a little bulldozing go if I had to. What you can't ignore is when people are put in harms way as a direct result of strip mining and the practice of mountain top removal.
Another danger that Reece touches on is the risk of falling land and rock; he calls it "flyrock." The example he gives about a couple who was rudely inturrupted by a stray boulder stuck out to me. With all the dynamite and explosions, nearby homes are at risk for debris and that's something obvious that I feel is often over-lookcd.
While this book does a good job getting the point across, I, personally, am beginning to feel that I got the point already and now its just being driven home. I just feel like I get the point already and maybe Erik Reece has said all he has to say. Each chapter sort of says the same thing in slightly different language. "Strip Mining and Mountain Top removal is unethical dangerous and terrible for the environment"....I understand.
I agree that he is made his point, I feel that he is just reinforcing it from different aspects and maybe still trying to convince the people still on the coal train. I also agree that the slurry runoff is very scary. The way they compare it to lava from a volcano is a good comparison. Also, how he describes the slurry as sucking the color out of the colorful area is very powerful.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with your blog. Reece has already established his argument and in this second section, he uses all kinds of examples to demonstrate why coal mining is bad. I feel like in your last paragraph you were saying that the book was beginning to get boring and, if that's what you mean, I completely agree. I am entirely convinced by him and his arguments are great, but the stories are all starting to run together for me.
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